Swimming appliance



P. J. TIMBERLAKE. SWIMMING APPLIANCE, FILED MAY 29. 1922. 2SHE'ETS'SHEET 1 Jan. 1 6, 19 23; 1,442,746

Jan. 16, 1923.

P. J. T IMBERLAKEI SWIMMING APP]. AYNOE- FILED MAY 29, I922. 2SHEETS'SHEET 2 sons, such as the relative lung Patented clan... in, 1923attain rear PAUL J'PI'IMBERLAKE, 0F JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

App1ication filed May 29,

To all whom it may-concern v Be it known that I, PAUL J. ,T1MBER- LAKE,a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the, county ofJackson and Stateoif Michigan, have invented cer tain new and usefulImprovements in Swimming Appliances, of which the follow ing is aspecification.

My invention relates to a swimming applia'nce to 'beused. by bathers,and particularly by persons learning to swim. It comprises a pair ofbuoyant members and harness by which they are connected whenisecured tothe body of the wearer in one or anotherposition. The object of theinventionis to produce a buoyant swimming appliance that may be adjustedto the person according as the wish of the wearer may dictate, or as maybe suggested by-a teacher giving instructions in'swimming. It is wellknown that theposition of the centerof gravity of the body of one persondiffers from that of another from physiological reacapacity, relativeweight of the lower limbs, disposition of fat, etc. These individualdifi'erences and peculiarities make it desirable, under the advice of a.skilled?instructor, to 'apply a buoyant device, when used to giveconfidence and assistance to onelearning to swim, to one part of thebody of one individual, and

individual; and my invention permits this shiftingot the appliance andadapting it to various parts of the body in an easy manner and withoutthe necessity of complicatedor cumbrous harness.

In the accompanying drawings wherein my invention is illustrateche iFigure 1 is a perspective view of the device applied about the neck of aswimmer;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of? the parts assembled as represented in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 a rear view with the parts as they would be arranged when appliedacross the shoulders of a swimmer.

Fig. i is a plan view illustrating a construction of the buoyant membersdifferent from that shown in theother views;

Fig. is a detail view illustrating a feature of construction not shownin. other The appliance comprises two buoyant members 2, 2, formed withinner curved edges 18-.- the general contour of the members 2 beingpreferably kidney-shaped In water proof and may be 1922. Serial No.564,485.

practice I preterthat the members 2 should be bags adapted to beinflated with air, being either entirely separate from each other, asrepresented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or united 0 by a hollow flexible neck19, as represented in Fig. 4. The bags 2 should be constructed of thinflexible material that is air and formed of a single thickness ofmaterial, such as rubber in some form; but I prefer'the arrangementillustrated wherein there is an inner air bag 3 of rubber surrounded bya stout fabric bag 4. The inflatable members 2 are provided with airvalves 5 of suitable construction.

The larger ends of the bags, when of the shape shown in the drawings, Idesignate the front ends, since these he under the chin when theappliance is worn about the neck, as represented in Fig. 1; the other,smaller, ends being designatedthe rear or back ends. The latter areconnected, and I. have shown, two ways of effecting such connection. InFig. at the connecting member 19 isa hollow necltronstituting an airconduit between the two. bags, the aiihvalve being located insaid neckso that both bags may be filled through a; single valve. The neck isotsuch size'and construction as to be flexible, permitting the bags tobe readily adjusted when the device is applied to. the

person. to another part of the body to a different A l more simpleconnection [between the smaller or rear ends oi ;the buoyant members 2is illustrated in the other views of the drawings and consists of astrap 6' which may be formed of asingle piece of tape secured at itsends in any suitable manner to the bags, as represented in F ig.j2;, orof two parts. adapted to be unitedand one ofthem looped and providedwith a slide 20, thus making the connecting strap extensible. A neckband 7 is secured to the connecting strap 6, either, by

being" permanently stitched thereto. as mp resented in: Fig. 2-. or bymeans of a detachable, fastener as represented in Fig.

The neck band shown as being provided with a connecting clasp by whichits ends may be united and is extensible as to 05 its length; one endthereof being doubled upon itself and. provided with a slide 1.7. V

9 indicates a strap adapted to pass under the chinot the wearer when theappliance is worn about the neckyas represented in Fig; 1; and which forthat reason is termed tliechin strap. -It"unites-the. opposite bagsverse middle thereof.

Q insane 2, being connected to each at about the trans The opposite endsof the chin strap are adapted to be united as by a hook 11, carried byone part, engaging with an eye or ring 14, carried by the other part.The chin strap is extensible as to its length, permitting the applianceto be adjusted to the person of the one using givin it. WVhen theseveral parts of the appliance are arranged about the neck ofthe personas shown in Fig. 1, the chin strap 9 serves to hold the bags in placeabout the neck, preventing them from rising. Byj connecting the oppositeends of the chin strap with the bags at about the transverse middleportions of thelatter the tendency is, when the strap is drawn fairlytight, to roll the bags slightly, lifting their outer edges and pressingthe inner concave edges closely about the neck of the wearer, thus tothe user of the device a sense of securlty that is wanting'if the bagsare loose and free to move upon theperson. In order to improve the fitof the appliance and to hold the front ends of the bags down against theupper portion of the chest, I unite such forward ends of the bags bymeans of a "fastener, such as a hook 12 and eye 13, se-

cured, respectively, to the upper sides of the said forward end portionsof the bags.

This fastener holds together the said end portions of the bags'andprevents them from being lifted up from the chest of the user andseparating, as would be the tendency if they were left free.

' Should the user of "the appliance prefer to wear it across hisshoulders the parts are arranged as shownin Fig. 3. When thus worn thebouyant members 2 lie across the shoulders of the wearer with theirsmaller ends upward and their concave sides toward each other. Thefastener, consisting of the hook 12 and eye 18, is disconnected, whilethe chin strap is extended so as to permit the larger ends of the bagsto separate farther than do the smaller ends. Thebags are so applied tothe person that the straps 9 extend across the outer sides of thebuoyant members, holding them against the person of the wearer andpreventing them, in co-operation with the body straps, to be referredto, from floating away from the body. Body straps 16, coimected at 15,15

' with the bags or buoyant members 2, are

then passed about the body of the wearer and tied, or otherwise united.The con nections 15 with which the straps 16 engage are preferablysecured to the bags near their outer edges and between the middleport-ion thereof and the enlarged or forward ends.

If the user of the appliance should prefer to wear the buoyant members 2across his chest instead of over his shoulders the arrangement shown inFig. 3 will be maintained, except that theparts will be shifted. halfway around the person, thus bringing the connecting strap 6 in front ofand below the chin instead of at the back of the neck. In applying thedevice either across tl'ieshoulders or the chest, ashas just beendescribed, the neck band 7 is enlarged to the desired extent, and servesto hold the buoyant members from slipping down below the desiredpositions upon the body. This neck band is not an essential feature whentheappliance is used as represented in Fig. 1, although it is customaryto secure it about the neck as represented in the drawings even when theparts are thus used.

It'willbeseen by reference to Fig. 3 that the strap 9 and theconnections between it and the loops 15, with which the body straps 16are connected together, constitute a continuous band extending acrossthe outer faces of the enlarged end portions of the buoyant members 2.This arrangement prevents undue strain being put upon the covering ofthe buoyant members when the body st 'aps are drawn tight and fastened.

Should it be desired to wear the appliance about the waist the neck band7 is unfastoned, its ends either being left loose or else the bandentirely removed. The chin strap 9 is disconnected, the buoyantmembersthen being united only by the strap 6 (or its equivalent, as theconnecting neck 19), when the parts 2 are placed about the waist of thewearer with their concave" edges next the person and there secured bymeans of the body straps 16, which in this instance are fastened to theconnections 12 and 13 at the larger ends of the parts 2, that is, theends opposite to those united by the strap 6.

Each adaptation and application of the device to the person may beeasily'accomplished; and, as is apparent from the drawings and thisdescription, requires only very simple harness. By the use of thelatter, however, the buoyant members are firmly and comfortably securedto the person, the

various straps and bandswhich constitute the harness being so arrangedand united with the buoy-ant members that, when properly admsted,whatever he the position of the said members upon the body, they aremeans for connecting the rear ends of the said buoyant members, and astrap adapted to pass under the chin oi? the user connected with theforward portions of the buoyant members, the latter connection beingseparable to permit application and removal of the appliance to theperson.

2. A swimming appliance such as described in claim 1 where the chinstrap connections with the respective buoyant memhere are made atapproximately the trans-.

Verse center of the said members whereby upon tightening the strap thetendency is to lift the outer edges of the members and press the inneredges closely against the person.

3. A swimming appliance such as described in claim 1, including also afasten- .ing for uniting the :tront ends of the buoyant members, locatedin advance of the chin Strap.

4. A. swimming appliance such as described in claim 1, Where theconnection serving as the chin strap is adjustable as to its lengthbetween the buoyant members.

5. A swimming appliance, comprising a pair of buoyant members, aflexible connection uniting the back ends of such members, a bandadapted to go about the neck of a wearer to which the said flexibleconnection is secured, a cross band connecting the front portions of thebuoyant members, and body straps connected, respectively, with the outeredges of the buoynt members approximately in line with the said crossband.

PAUL J. TIMBER-LAKE.

